


The Enemy Within

by Fighting_for_Creativity



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avenger assemble, Battleworld, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Mind Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other minor characters - Freeform, Slow Burn, Ultron - Freeform, mostly Tony POV, spoiler for S3, spoilers for s04, starts with S03 E26
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fighting_for_Creativity/pseuds/Fighting_for_Creativity
Summary: After Tony was freed, something didn’t go according to Strange’s plan.Because as soon as Tony got into the meshed-up world, Strange’s enchantment broke.Somehow though, Ultron wasn’t there. Or… was he?~~~(As the story progresses, the summary will be updated)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Ultron/Winter Soldier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	The Enemy Within

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Penndragon27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penndragon27/gifts).



> I am a sucker for WinterIron, and there were too few Winter Soldier appearances in that show.  
> Also, I am deeply in love with the show itself and thus bounced at the opportunity TSB provided me here.
> 
> That being said, I hope you all are going to enjoy the story. 
> 
> Please note that it will take a few weeks maybe up to a month before a new chapter comes out. (Couple of WIPs cry for my attention.)
> 
> The first part of this chapter has some **bold** convo in it. Those are direct quotes from the episode.
> 
> Once again, my gratitude belongs to [EachPeachPearPlum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EachPeachPearPlum/pseuds/EachPeachPearPlum) for helping me getting the words pretty.  
> \----
> 
>   
> **TSB fill:**  
> 
> 
> Collaborator Name: Fighting_for_Creativity  
> Card Number: 3113  
> Square Filled: S3 Canon Animated Verses  
> Ship/Main Pairing: WinterIron, Ultron/Winter

Tony looked down as he finished what he thought would be his final words. He closed his eyes, hoping that his friends would understand, would just get it and not make this harder for them, for him.

“We’ll find a way, Tony.”

That was Steve. Always Steve. That damn brave, kind-hearted man. Tony could hear the blond’s voice waver. He knew his own wasn’t much better when he replied, “Well, you better go. You’ve got your job, and I’ve got mine.”

With that, they disappeared, Strange’s power not enough to sustain them all being there. For a moment, Tony stood stock still. Not daring to breath, not daring to think. Then the finality of his situation really hit home.

He was alone.

  
  
The one thing he never could deal with. He was alone.

And this time there was no technology, no JARVIS, no DUM-E, no FRIDAY, no U and no Butterfingers to combat the silence, the loneliness.

“Looks like this is it.”

The silence was eerie. For the first time since the Avengers came back into his life, Tony fell to his knees, crying in despair.

Later, way _too much_ later, his comm unit buzzed. When his mind processed that information, he started to fiddle with it until: - **“We’ve got New Avengers on the ground in New York restoring peace and order.”** ‘ _Steve._ ’

**“You forgot one person.”** Sam’s voice filtered through the device. And suddenly Tony knew what he had to do. With a smirk in his voice and lightness in his chest, he said, **“Hey, how about you guys get back to work? There’s a whole world out there that needs the Avengers.”**

He could just imagine Hawkeye pulling off his glasses as he asked, **“Is that really him?”**

And Thor’s hopeful but stormy expression, when he exclaimed, **“Trickery!”**

Sam answered that for him. Explained how he managed to get the transmission right. 

Nat’s voice was a soothing balm for Tony’s soul when she concluded, **“But he’s here.”**

He couldn’t help himself. **“Avengers, assemble!”**

  
  


~~~The Enemy Within~~~

Tony was surprised when the Suspender had grabbed a part of his “Holiday Inn” and accidentally transported him with it. What the genius wasn’t surprised by was the strangeness he was thrown in. He was filled with relief when the Arc Reactor didn’t give out the moment the ‘no tech working dimension’ was ripped apart. He didn’t feel the low electric hum in his chest as the enchantment was broken. Tony didn’t see the faint red flash before the Arc returned to light blue. And Anthony didn’t remember the red entering his vision and the voice whispering, “ _Freedom._ ”

It took him time to figure out what was happening in the ever-shifting world, but once he did he knew he needed to stop it and to figure out how to use it to get back home. He had traveled from Ironfist’s jungle (K’un’lun) to the robot-hating western city. There he had heard rumors about another desert with pyramids. Even the Suspender wasn’t able to see anything that was inside them. At least according to the gossip of the town. The engineer never stayed in one place for too long, keeping constantly on the move to avoid the Suspender’s eyes. How long he had been here, had traveled throughout this patchwork world, he didn’t know. Tony only knew that he needed to find whatever it was that kept the Suspender’s eyes away.

He never questioned how he knew of the Suspender. Tony never could detect any gaps in his memory. The moment he got the feeling something was off, he dismissed it as paranoia. For instance, Tony had wondered how he had gotten the truck, Marsha. But not even a heartbeat later he shrugged it off. The next time he paused and considered how he had gotten it, he ‘remembered’ pulling apart different robots in the western city and assembling it. Marsha was reliable and thus he kept her.

When he finally reached the pyramids, his inner clock counted 26 days in this world. ‘ _Gosh, I need to get out of here. Such a waste of time.'_

With a thoughtful expression, Tony scrutinized the pyramids. They… weren’t quite his. Well, certainly not _his_ in general. But not the ones he had visited on a previous trip to Egypt either. 

‘ ** _Another dimension_** ,’ a stray thought supplied. That thought was followed by a low, throbbing headache. That was another reason why Tony needed to get out of here. He had recurring headaches, which mostly came after a strange stray thought not quite in his own mental voice.

Whatever _that_ was. Strange would surely be able to help him out there. Inexplicable feelings of dislike - nearly hatred - floated through him. “What… why do I feel like…”

‘ ** _Have you forgotten what Strange did to you?_ **’

‘ _That’s not… I… he saved me from-_ ’

‘ ** _He sealed you away. He betrayed you. Without him, you could have been with your friends. But they didn’t protest either, did they? And you’re still fiddling and creating things for them._** ’

‘They’re my friends… Shut up.’

“Gosh, I need to get a grip on myself. I need to see them soon. ‘m slipping. Maybe there’s some merit in the idea that people need human contact from time to time…”

‘ ** _And maybe not. Maybe deep down you know I’m right because I’m you,'_** Tony’s hazel eyes flashed red for a second with that thought. Just like many times since he was brought to this mesh-up-world. But then he shook his head, focusing on his goal. He needed to get his hands on whatever it was that made the Suspender unable to see into the pyramids.

Before he could take a step onward, flashing pain brought him to his knees. Holding his head, Tony groaned into the early afternoon air. He had been fine just a second ago, hadn’t he? What was going on with him?  
  
‘ _These headaches are annoying. I really need to find a doctor when I’m back home._ ’

Breathing through his nose, trying to get a grip on himself, the engineer got up again. Tony closed his eyes against the nausea befalling him. Therefore he didn’t see the flesh of red on his chest. And because he didn’t see it, he shrugged off the straining headache as best as he could. Not noticing the _not-quite-his voice_ whispering suggestions in the back of his mind. “I need a drink, and to eat something. Then I’ll go and explore the pyramids.”

**Author's Note:**

> @Penn; buddy I know you have some hardships to go through, I hope this lets you smile/ relax for a tiny bit at least.


End file.
